COVINGTON, Ky. — There appears to be a backstory behind a video clip featuring an elderly Native American man and a group of teenage white males getting into a “confrontation” of sorts on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that went viral on Saturday.
More video is now available, and additional participants and witnesses are speaking up, that appear to contradict the origonal narrative. The additional video footage of the event contradicts claims that the Covington Catholic High Schoolers were harrassing and in fact, the additional video shows that at some point, the high school boys were being harrassed.
Marcus Frejo, a member of the Pawnee and Seminole tribes who is also known as Chief Quese Imc, said he had been a part of the march and was among a small group of people remaining after the rally when the students began chanting slogans such as “Make America great” and then began doing the haka, a traditional Maori dance.
In a phone interview, Frejo told The Associated Press he felt they were mocking the dance and also heckling a couple of black men nearby. He approached the group with Phillips to defuse the situation, joining him in singing the anthem from the American Indian Movement and beating out the tempo on hand drums.
Although he feared a mob mentality that could turn ugly, Frejo said he was at peace singing and he briefly felt something special happen as they repeatedly sang the tune.
“They went from mocking us and laughing at us to singing with us. I heard it three times,” Frejo said. “That spirit moved through us, that drum, and it slowly started to move through some of those youths.”
Eventually a calm fell over the group of students and they broke up and walked away.
Still, in a joint statement , the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School apologized and said they are investigating and will take “appropriate action, up to and including expulsion.”
@ 2018 WLS-AM News. The Associated Press was used in preparation of this report All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
